The present invention relates to trailers for towing behind a motor vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to trailers that fold into a storage position while hitched to a motor vehicle. In addition, the present invention relates to a folding trailer that has an extendable bed that can be adjusted to accommodate different sized loads.
Trailers are essentially analogous to the wagons that were commonly used in commerce in the 19th century and earlier times. In the usual case, the wagon was hitched to a horse, or a team of horses, and served to transports loads of various kinds from point to point. As horses were replaced with motor vehicles, the usage of wagons also adapted and trailers were hitched to a motor vehicle to provide the same transportation service as before.
Over time, trailers evolved to fit various needs. Tasks as diverse as moving furniture to hauling logs were handled through the use of trailers. The availability of a convenient means to transport items was a boon for many reasons and purposes and the usage of trailers has become ubiquitous. This is not to say that all problems associated with the use of trailers and the various applications in which trailers can be used has been solved. One example of such a situation is the difficulty of dealing with a trailer that is unloaded but is still hitched to a motor vehicle. In just one example, a situation like this is typically very difficult for the driver to manage since the added length makes driving and maneuvering more complicated. As will be seen below, there remain significant deficits regarding the actual usage of trailers under different conditions and circumstances.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,176 (Leib, et al) a collapsible trailer is shown that has a bifurcated bed that can be folded in order to shorten the length of the trailer for storage purposes. Leib does not solve the problems associated with towing an unloaded trailer that follows behind a motor vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 336,869 (Leib, et al) is the identical concept except covered from the design standpoint. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,025 (Hagen) discloses a folding trailer that is hitchable to a motor vehicle. Hagen's invention does have a bed that folds and then can be articulated to a point on the tongue structure where the bed is maintained above the ground and in a position closer to the rear of the motor vehicle. Leib does not solve the problem of significantly minimizing the overall length of the motor vehicle and trailer combination and Lieb does not provide for adjustable extensions of the bed to accommodate different sized loads. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,117 (Cross) a fold-up trailer for use with an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) is shown. Cross is dealing with a lightweight trailer bed, suspension and wheels, which are not suited for typically roadway duty as a trailer.
The folding trailer of U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,709 (Hall, et al) teaches a different approach where the trailer bed is foldable into a compact size that is stored on the rear of the motor vehicle in a storage housing. Hall does generate some real benefits in terms of the compact result when the trailer is stored, but the approach is severely limited and certainly does not possess the capacity of a standard trailer. Similar in concept to Hall, U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,046 (Andersson) teaches the use of a foldable trailer bed that can be stowed in a housing on the bumper of a motor vehicle.